Looking for Glory
by LeGoMeEGGO
Summary: The sarcastic, arrogant, turret-tossing badass commando Axton is dumped into the Normandy crew's hands. Trapped in a universe all alone, what will he do? Probably kick some major ass.
1. Looking for Glory

**My very first fan fiction with my 2 favorite games. Lemme know what you guys think. Thanks!**

* * *

Axton was upgrading his Sabre Turret with even more ridiculous firepower than he thought was necessary, but then again, there could be nothing but the best for his sweetheart of a weapon. Anyways, with the Warrior and Handsome Jack out of the picture he was going to have to find a new adventure. Sure saving a backwater planet full of psychopaths and murderers was fun and all, but it's not something thats gonna make it into a history book. That's why he was with the Crimson Raiders. To write history. Currently Lilith was trying out her newfound Siren powers. Since she was practically bursting with eridium energy, her powers were constantly evolving, and now she was crazy enough to try sending someone else into Phasewalk.

"Umm... d'you guys think this is safe?" Axton thought aloud," I mean, sure Lilith's got some major badass power ups but I don't want to explode or nothin,"

Zero, mocking him as always, replied, "Great Axton is scared?/History won't be written/Chances lost, oh well,"

"C'mon Mr. Commando, suck it up and lets get on with it," Lilith cheerfully said," Ain't like the time I dissolved that baby skag, I've been practicing,"

'_Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better,' _Axton thought, but resigned himself to his fate. He returned his trusty turret into the digistructor on his hip and prepared himself for what was hopefully a painless transition to wherever the hell Lilith goes when she did her Siren stuff.

"Here goes," Lilith said with uncertainty, uncertainty that Axton noticed a little too late.

"Hey are you su-" He started to argue but the purple waves of energy enveloped him inside a sphere, blocking all further communication.

Axton was breathless and speechless, but not in the way he had hoped. It wasn't the sleek beauty of the universe folding around him, not the realization he was traveling into another dimension.

It was the massive amount of pain coursing through his body.

"Somethings wrong!" Lilith shouted, struggling to pull him back. But the sphere just grew brighter as Axton's consciousness faded from the agonizing pain.

His body was thrown through impossible dimensions, catapulted through space and time and reality like a ragdoll. And when it finally stopped, Axton was unceremoniously dumped into a random alternate universe with no conceivable way back.

* * *

Shepard and his team were pinned down under the YMIR mechs' fire, running out of thermal clips and running out of time. Cloned Krogan slowly creeped upon his team's position. Not to mention the poison gas would surely kill Okeer and his creation by the time they killed all the remaining enemies. He ducked down further under the flimsy cover, hoping to find some way to finish this battle quickly.

"Mordin, think you could-" He started to say, but suddenly a blinding light filled the room, followed by the crash of thunder and explosion. Shepard peeked up, surprised and slightly deafened by the phenomenon.

'_Did the mechs just blow up?'_ He thought, seeing the carnage that filled the room.

"Holy shit!~~" Jack exclaimed, ecstatic about the scorch marks covered every surface. The rusted metal designed to withstand space combat had warped and melted around a central point. At the center of all the chaos was a lone man collapsed on the floor, with scarcely any armor and wearing clothes of a style reminiscent of Earth military. In any case, he just saved their lives with some damn powerful explosion.

"Someone carry him to the shuttle, I'll go check on Okeer," With all the battles Shepard had been receiving the past few months, he wasn't going to let someone who wiped out a room full of krogan and heavy mechs slip through his fingers that easily.

* * *

Axton woke up slowly. He had to, since every damn part of his body seared with pain with every small movement. He tried getting up but found his limbs and head strapped down to a table. An older woman, a doctor judging from her lab coat, was talking to a 30-something man.

Next to him however, stood a lizard looking thing, with horns. God-damn freaking horns. Nothing with horns ever turned out good for Axton.

'_What kind of hell did I get myself into this time?' _


	2. Found a Fight

**Thanks for the reviews people, its delightful to get praise for my writing. Btw Axton spends this whole chapter tied to a table. **

**The comrades Shepard has so far are : Miranda, Jack, Mordin, Garrus, Jacob, Zaeed, and soon to be Grunt.**

It had been hours since Axton was strapped down in this shiny, sleek lab. To be honest he wasn't particularly fond being tied down to a table like a frog waiting to be dissected, but it did have its advantages. For example, he could pretend to be asleep while his captors talked about what to do with him He quickly glanced at them and saw they were still talking, undoubtedly deciding his fate.

'_I'll be damned if the first thing I get when I wake up is a bullet to my brainpan.' _Axton thought, his mind wandering for escape paths. If things went south he'd have to get out quick, these people looked military, even more military than the Hyperion. No doubt there would be more around somewhere. Slowly he started to undo the binds to his captivity, quietly so he could break out when the time came. He could hear English and some... Weird warbling hissing sound from the lizard thing.

"What do we do with him Commander?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

"Looks military, mercenary perhaps? Unknown discharge of volatile energy suggests biotics. Powerful too. No trace of Element Zero though, interesting. Technology seems rugged yet advanced, no influence of mass accelerator use." Mordin rambled off, enthralled by the new character aboard the Normandy. Shepard really did find the most fascinating things.

"Wait, what are you saying Mordin? What is this guy?"

"Shepard, possibilities endless. Maybe traveler from another galaxy, alternate universe? Suggest direct interrogation, persuasion for alliance. Could use assistance in fighting the Collectors."

Shepard looked over towards the newcomer. He already had a collection of capable soldiers but another powerhouse would be welcome. Something told him that this guy, even with a lack of weapons and armor, was an expert in war, and possibly a valuable asset towards fighting the Reapers.

"Alright fine, wake him up doctor, then we can see if he'll join us." Shepard would wake the Krogan later, right now his attention was concentrated on the man trying to break free of his handcuffs. Shepard walked over and looked down into the slightly scarred face of the man

"Looks like you're already awake. I'm Commander Shepard with the Systems Alliance and you are currently on the starship Normandy. You're human, but with tech that isn't reliant on mass effect yet just as advanced. Care to answer a few questions?"

Axton looked up from his hands into the faces of the two humans and the... walking frog. They looked serious and menacing, especially the frog. It looked way too excited to see him. To try getting their trust and some info he decided to use the charming side to his personality.

"Maybe if you answer a few o' mine, Commander. Like, can you let me go?" He replied, hopefully sounding friendly and cooperative.

"Not just yet, we don't know you and you look like you're not from here, judging by your... interesting tech." Shepard gestured towards a table holding Axton's digistruct module carrying his guns and the storage unit of his turret. Man, he really wanted to have her in his hands. There was just no comfort with him knowing that his sweetheart wouldn't be at his side.

"Yeah, and I ain't never seen stuff like a walking talking lizard before either."

"Offended! But intrigued nonetheless. I, am Mordin Solus, scientist Salarian. Interested in your technology. Rapid digital construction used small-scale in our omni tools. This device similar, however, excels at it. Unlike any technology feasible with mass effect. Possibility you have traveled from other galaxies. How?"

"Um what is he,she, it saying? I'm just hearing a bunch of mumbo jumbo."

Shepard got something out of a drawer and strapped the spare omnitool onto the man in case something like this happened. Well, maybe not exactly like this.

"Here, it's an omnitool, contains translation software. Mordin just asked you how you got here."

"Oh, uh...thanks. It was a little experiment gone wrong. What was supposed to be a quick, painless dip into instead catapults me straight to wherever this place is, completely lost. Figures, with my freakin' luck I'm probably stranded here too." Shepard wondered what kind of 'little' experiment produced that big of a blast, maybe a mass relay?

" I... guess that could explain the massive explosion when we found you... you were unconscious in the middle of it all. Sorry but no one in our galaxy has anything close to controlled teleportation, I guess you are stuck here."

Axton breathed a heartfelt sigh, suddenly feeling a lot less energetic with that new realization. Ever since his wife left him he'd been filling the void with violence and arrogance. Excessive amounts of both. Now he'd probably lost all his friends and comrades too. There was an overwhelming feeling of... nothing... and he couldn't even talk to his bullet-spitting companion for comfort. Shepard noticed this change in behavior, this man had lost all the flare he gave off. This man lacked purpose, he was lonely. Shepard knew the feeling well due to his survival of Akuze. The only thing that saved him was his assignment to the Normandy, and from that saving the galaxy from Saren.

"So what now? Gonna lock me up and take my stuff? Go ahead. I don't know anyone here anyhow." He quietly finished, all the usual sarcasm and ferocity gone from his voice. It didn't matter anymore, he wasn't going to be in any history books, wasn't going to be immortalized.

_'Yeah, like there was any hope of that happening in the first place.' _Axton bitterly remarked. What he heard next was beyond what he had ever imagined.

"I'm not going to lock you up,"

_'Um... What?'_

_"_You look like an elite soldier, and an experienced one at that. Right now we..."

_'Well, yeah, I guess I am pretty good at shooting stuff. Vault Hunters ain't generally anything but the cream of the crop.' _Axton chuckled inwardly_._ Being praised for once wasn't so bad_. ' I'm betting somewhere out on Pandora those bandits are rejoicing not having to face the wrath of Axton the Commando._

_"Ooh yay~~ it must be a miracle! The most deadly, most sexually attractive man is gone now. We don't have to hide in our piece of shit little fortresses anymore, hooraay~~~" _Axton playfully thought, with absurd amounts of mockery in his inner voice. Then he remembered the Commander was still talking to him.

_"_... That's why I want you to join me."

_'Shit, I completely zoned out, what was he saying? Did he just ask me to do join him? For what? Alright just play it cool Axton, just ask him subtly what he meant. Subtlety. That's the key here.'_

_"_Ummm... What the hell did you just say?" Axton asked, as subtly as he could. Luckily it seemed to go over well.

_"_I'm looking for the best to help me save humanity from the Collectors, and to fight the Reapers when they eventually come. What do you say?"

Axton blinked a few times, processing that last bit of info as fast as he could. It wasn't everyday that he was asked to save humanity, and so far, he wasn't being tortured or threatened to do so. He had no way back home and nothing holding him back. He could see by the look in the Commander's eyes purpose. This wasn't some grunt being told what to do, this guy was on his own, fighting against something very powerful. How interesting.

"This little escapade of yours, I'm assuming it's near suicidal? Odds stacked against you with no against you? All on your own?"

"That's the gist of it," A high risk, no return challenge?

"And I'll get paid right? Risking my life ain't something I do without some loot on the line,"

"I'm being funded by an intergalactic multibillion dollar organization that I don't particularly agree with. I've got no problem with spending their money for your services." Massive amounts of money?

"One last question. This mission, is it something that's going to be remembered?" Axton was on the edge of his seat, metaphorically of course, seeing as he was still tied up and all.

" Not right now, no one believes the danger we're all in. But when the Reapers come, we will be the tip of the spear, leading the fight for survival." That did it for him, Axton heard all he needed to.

"Damn, a secret mission to save the galaxy from a threat no one knows? Hell I'd do it even without getting the money! But I'm still getting paid."

" I guess that means you're in?" Shepard asked hopefully, seeing the exhilaration in his new teammate's eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I am. So are you gonna untie me or not? Axton was certainly in. He had seen and done a lot of things that seemed crazy, but this had surely taken the slowly released him from the table, and as Axton got up to leave he collected his digistruct module from Mordin. There was absolute silence as he put back on all his belongings, only the slight shuffling of clothes and clicks of his buckles. Then something occurred to Shepard as Axton finished checking his equipment.

"We never did get your name." He turned around to all of them with his usual flair and arrogance.

"Names Axton, don't wear it out."

**Next Chapter: Axton meets his new, diverse, and strange comrades and learns about his new galaxy.**


	3. A Small Scuffle

**Sorry this took so long to get out, Writer's Block is a bitch. I've got the next few chapters outlined though, look forward to some Kasumi**

* * *

"Names Axton, don't wear it out."

* * *

"We'll set you up somewhere in a little bit, I think we should meet the crew first. I'll give you a tour when you've settled in a bit." Shepard told him. Axton nodded and followed Shepard out of the medical bay into the crew deck.

Axton didn't have high hopes. Really, anything would've been fine, wasn't like Pandora was any better. But there was a seemingly exorbitant amounts of comfort provided by Cerberus. When he was working with the Dahl Corporation everything was kept absolutely utilitarian. Hard bunks, tasteless rations and the like. Probably because they wanted to save money. Everything on the Normandy was shiny and sleek, looked expensive too. Everything did.

"You've already met the Salarian, Mordin Solus. He's the chief scientist aboard the Normandy."

"He reminds me of this one so called genius we had on Pandora. 'Cept she was a whole mess crazier."

"We're fighting an enemy beyond our scope, that's why we need crazy people like Mordin to upgrade our stuff. Gives us a fighting chance."

"Stuff like the omnitool?"

"Not exactly. Omnitools are standard for soldiers and civilians alike, it serves as a computer, micro fabrication platform, and sensory device. The ones for military are a lot more advanced, that one's just a civilian spare we keep in case someone needs a translator or something. We'll find one that suits you next time we're on the Citadel."

"Citadel? That sounds impressive."

"It's the galactic nexus of alien cultures. Aside from humanity, who are relatively new, there are the Turians, Asari, and Salarians who govern over all the species in Council space. There's a codex downloaded on your omnitool, I suggest you look through it in your spare time."

"More aliens. Great." Axton was regretting living through that Phasewalk experiment. Learning was not his strong suit. He was a soldier - a damn good one - not a scholar.

They headed through the CIC where the glances of the crew were not lost on Axton. Rumors had spread of his... unique arrival. When they were in the conference room the armory and research lab Axton saw something he never thought possible. Going left around the rectangular table stood not only Mordin from the med bay but a bald girl wearing almost nothing but tattoos, a skin-tight suit wearing supermodel, an old guy who looked like someone ran him through a grinder, and some alien who looked like his face was blown off. In fact, only the guy who looked a little like Roland seemed to be remotely professional military, and stood aloof against a wall on the far edge of the table.

Shepard introduced them one by one, and Axton noticed that the man with the scars and the chick with tattoos were eyeing him strangely, maybe sizing him up for a fight. Not unlike how Mordin always had that 'I want to see how you tick' look whenever he was around Axton. These were fierce people, and that's saying something once you've lived on Pandora.

"Well, more aliens. Who would've thunk huh?" Axton said gruffly. Forget the Crimson Raiders, these guys could've all been Vault Hunters in their own rights.

Then, out of the center of the table, a hologram of a big blue ball popped up.

"Commander, concerning the Okeer's Krogan in the cargo hold, I have assessed viable life signs and mental activity."

Axton, unused to this occurrence which happened frequently aboard the Normandy, was taken aback by the sudden interruption of this mysterious voice.

"Umm... what the hell is that?" He asked, already starting to figure out the answer from the very familiar tone of voice he had heard so frequently on Pandora.

"EDI is our integrated shipboard Artificial Intelligence. I'll take care of it EDI." Axton was unnerved with this development. The only AI he knew had turned out to be a scared teenager chained to a machine by her father. Of course, the only thing the crew of the Normandy saw was a small tensing of his muscles. Nobody thought much though, attributed it to simple surprise. AI were uncommon, especially friendly ones. Maybe they were just as troublesome in other galaxies.

"We'll need to set up some quarters aboard the Normandy for Axton. Do you have any preferences?"

"Dunno, don't suppose there's a luxury suite available?" Axton asked, not expecting anything remotely of that sort.

"Apologies Mr. Axton, the only room currently of that perceivable grade is reserved for the Commander." Apparently this AI wasn't quite as alive as Angel. Sarcasm just flew right over it's head.

"I'll take anywhere really, just make it away from the people who look like they wanna cut me to pieces. Scientifically or otherwise." Mordin sniffed the air and averted his eyes from Axton's steady gaze, looking a little guilty of his curiosity. But only a little.

Whether intentional or not Miranda seemed to jump on the chance to separate Axton from the main crew, or the whole crew for that matter,

"The cargo bay will have to suffice for now. Its out of the way. Other rooms are being redesigned for the Silaris armor we installed."

"So what, am I supposed to sleep in the backseat of a car?"

"Appropriate quarters will be set up as soon as possible." EDI stated, already having sent instructions for a quick room to be set up.

* * *

And with that Axton's brief meeting with the crew was concluded. Axton was headed down to his temporary quarters the crew had generously set up in an extremely short amount of time. He would have to get to know the crew later, get a feel for his surroundings. Everything was new, but at least some things felt the same.

_'I'm sleeping in a garage with half a dozen people looking like they're gunning for me. Feels just like Pandora all over again_.'

Something about the safety around here was disturbing to Axton. There was too much of it. He had never felt so uneasy being so comfortable. For such an advanced ship with probably dozens of rooms they had decided to stick him in the garage with nobody around. Boring. There was only waiting to be done while the ship traveled from place to place, Axton knew this from the years he spent in the Dahl military. The only thing to do in downtime was to talk to people, but he wasn't so sure what to talk about with them. He lied down on his bed in the corner of the shack, browsing through the functions of his omnitool and the Codex within. This was his home now, and he knew that finding his way back to his galaxy would be impossible since he didn't even know where he was, so learning about practically everything would have to be top priority. Boring as hell.

Axton said nothing about it though, he'd get used to it in some time. He was, if anything, adaptable. Back on Pandora everyone was always a hair's breadth away from getting a face full of acidic buckshot. Of course, being secure in knowing your head would stay firmly on while you slept was a precious commodity in Pandora. Axton, unused to feeling this level of comfort, suddenly felt incredibly out of place in the sleek, luxurious Normandy. His clothes were patched and rugged brown and green clothes instead of the shiny armors of his new acquaintances.

'_Wonder when I'll get mine...' _Axton drifted off, absentmindedly reading his Codex.

* * *

Jack was lying in her bunk scrolling through all the info Shepard had given her about Cerberus facilities. It was tiring, looking through all this shit to find that one place she needed to find. Hell, maybe she could use some relaxation. The new guy looked tough. Maybe a round or two with him could blow off some steam. And maybe it wouldn't be just fighting either. Jack did wonder about how good he really was though, the first time she had seen him he cleared a room with some kind of blast. It wasn't biotics which was a shame, but most disappointingly it wasn't his power. What did that leave him? He looked tough, military for sure, but she crushed types like his all the time. Just a run out of the mill plain old soldier. Just like all the other fuck heads she's killed. Oh yeah, one way or another, he was going to help her blow some steam.

Axton heard the feet before he heard the voice. The tattooed chick walked up to him with some very angry sounding steps. He looked towards her figure as she crossed her arms in front of him.

"Can I... help you with something tattoo lady?" He asked.

"Just looking for something fun. Life gets boring waiting around." She had already resolved to fight him, test him out. If Shepard was going to have him around she wanted someone who could dish out as much as she could, but more importantly not be some stupid jackass who could barely fight.

"So what, I'm supposed to juggle for you or something?"

"Maybe. I was thinking of testing you out, seeing what you can do. I don't want to be shot because you pissed in your pants."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not a guy to back down from a challenge. You're on."

Axton grinned at Jack, standing up to display his full mass and cracking his fingers. They walked into the center of the room and took their positions. They stood there, in the middle of the cargo bay, waiting for the first strike. Jack opened and closed her fists while Axton stood like a statue, sizing her up. The crew of the Normandy noticed the developing situation from their posts and had decided to gather and watch. A few were taking videos on their omnitools, while another went to notify the medical team. The few moments were tense with excitement and intrigue. Everyone wanted to know how long Axton would last against Jack.

Then, suddenly and swiftly, Jack threw a relatively weak biotic throw against Axton, which knocked him down onto knees while she closed in the distance. She brought back her foot to hit him solidly in the gut. She was testing him for a suicide mission, so no need to be fair, she justified. Surprisingly, Axton didn't even miss a beat. Without any indication he rolled TOWARDS her, tripping her face-first onto the deck. They both got up quickly, slowly circling each other.

"Funny, for a second there I thought we were going to fight fair."

"I thought you'd be tougher, guess we're both wrong."

They rushed each other again, fists a blur as they weaved and flitted back and forth between the two combatants Some hit, others were dodged or brushed aside. Axton dropped down and swept her legs out from under her, causing her to tumble down once again. This time, she brought her hands out and caught herself, performing a backwards kick towards his exposed body. Axton was quicker than her however, and caught her foot by the ankle. He yanked on her leg, pulling her closer to him as he moved to grapple her. Pinning her arms down with his knees he asked,

"You had enough darling? Or maybe you wanna go another round?"

Axton was good at all kinds of combat. 10 years in military and a stint on Pandora was a significant help to his skills. Jack struggled under the man's weight, as Axton chuckled at her attempts, which only angered her further. Her fist glowed with biotic power, breaking free of Axton's hold. The gloves were coming off now, as Jack threw a high powered shockwave point blank.

Jack's signature Shockwave threw Axton off of her, and then some. It flung him 40 feet through the air straight into the walls of the ship. Cracks and thuds were heard as he fell into a pile of storage boxes, instantly silencing the excited crewmembers and putting a tinge of worry on Jack's face.

"Shit... Shepard's not gonna like this..."


	4. Kasumi Goto, at your service

**Thought I would just throw this out to assure people this is still going despite all my projects and stuff. I'm going to try finishing Kasumi's mission arc before I leave for Europe this summer, so maybe another chapter in a few weeks?**

* * *

It was a few weeks after the small fight and things had settled down, if only slightly.

"I just don't get it man, how am I supposed to work this thing?" Axton tugged off the omnitool in frustration and leaned back in his chair at the mess table. Ever since Chakwas fixed him up he had been confined to the ship while his body worked out all the kinks. Which meant he had a LOT of time to kill. Shepard insisted Axton learned how to use his omnitool, seeing as they were a basic commodity in galactic life. Unfortunately it seemed that while he was stuck on the ship most of the crew got shore leave on the Citadel. And for better or worse, Jack was stuck too.

"Hey, mind helping me out?"

"I can't _believe _I have to look after your sorry ass." She said from across the table, stranded with Axton because Shepard would've been furious otherwise.

"Can't believe you're so good at it. Honestly it's kinda freakin me out."Axton rebutted sarcastically, knowing full well how to press Jack's buttons. Ever since their 'sparring' match, they had both been at odds with each other. Of course, being confined on a ship together only made their respective moods worse. Luckily before Jack could spit out a profanity laced insult EDI's blue figure popped up from the center of the table.

"Axton, the Commander has returned and requested your presence in the communications center."

"Looks like the boss is callin'. See ya' soon sweetie!" He called as he strolled out for the conference room.

"Don't call me that!" Jack yelled angrily after him in vain.

* * *

Axton walked into the com room, seeing a petite hooded girl and Shepard waiting expectantly.

"What's up boss? Who's this cutie?"

Shepard stared at Axton for quite a while before answering, unamused.

"This is Kasumi Goto, you're going to help her with a heist while I head to Illium." Shepard was as blunt as ever, leaving Axton a little surprised.

"Wait, what? A hei-" He began, before Kasumi interjected.

"What? I thought you'd be with me on this Shep!" Although he couldn't see her face clearly, Axton could almost swear she was pouting. Like a little kid not getting a popular toy.

"There's not enough time for me to personally handle everyone's problems, and I need to see if Axton can handle himself in the field. We'll drop you two off on Bekenstein in 2 hours."

With the very clear end to the conversation, Shepard left the room, leaving an awkward silence between the two newest members of the team. Axton thought he'd try to be a little more accommodating to his new squadmate.

"So. You single?" He tried, hoping to break the ice with his usual flirting and charm.

"Yeah… not even if you were the last person in the whole galaxy." Kasumi bluntly stated, her annoyance clear and her frustration apparent. She turned and cloaked out of sight, leaving Axton all alone.

"… Ouch."

* * *

**Coming up next: Fancy party for a not-so-fancy Mercenary**


	5. Party People Part 1

**New Chapter so quickly its like magic. The magic of imagination, boredom, and loneliness**

**Read. Enjoy. Review**

* * *

Bekenstein - 1 week later

"Why do I have do this, I hate dressing up!" Axton complained. His frustration apparent to Kasumi who was working to refit the suit she had originally bought for Shepard. Kasumi gave him a small jab with a pin.

"Ow! Watch it!"

"Honestly, I don't know either. I needed Shepard for this. HE's got some semblance of class. But noooo~~. He drops me off at an apartment a week before my perfectly planned heist to go chase after more teammates and I'm stuck with Mr. Moron who can't even use an Omni-tool!" Kasumi replied venomously, annoyed with the frat boy of a soldier. Cooperating was easy; this was just another mission for him. Convincing him not to follow her plans and dress up was horrendous.

"Whatever, least I get to stretch my fully healed body for once. I'm sick of that ship and its piece o' shit design. Who the hell thought a slow-ass elevator was the best way to get around?" Kasumi smiled a little at that. He had a point, and she got around faster using the vents anyways.

"There. All done. And not too shabby if I say so myself." Kasumi looked at Axton's fully suited form. She was quietly impressed with herself for making such a drastic change in appearance. Her mood would be killed swiftly.

"How do you know how to sew anyways?"

"Please, Axton, Do you think stealing is all I do?"

"Isn't it?" Kasumi put her hand to her face and sighed in despair. And she was supposed to deal with him for the entirety of this mission? If it weren't for Keiji's graybox as the prize she might've quit then and there.

"Alright... Let's just get going. I'll explain everything on the way."

* * *

"...and from there we grab the weapons in the statue and head to the vault. Got it?"

Axton blinked absentmindedly before replying.

"Huh? We're not just storming the place?"

"Storming? I'm not some bandit Axton, a master thief always has a plan." Kasumi would have called everything off because of that statement, but the greybox was just too important; Keiji was too important.

"Okay, okay. Geez... all this cloak and dagger stuff ain't exactly my forte ya know."

"Yeah, kind of figured. I already forged you a reputation - papers, witnesses, an article in Badass weekly- just keep calm and don't talk business."

"I'd feel better with a something that goes bang instead of a flimsy cover like that."

"I've stored the big guns in the statue for the vault, but they won't hassle you over a sidearm as long as it's concealed."

She opened up the glovebox and offered him the Carnifex inside.

"Here, you didn't bring any right? Of course, I have no idea why a mercenary wouldn't try to bring at least a couple, it's practically a stereotype."

Axton looked at the weapon in skepticism but took it anyways.

"Oh I've got more than a couple, sweetheart. I've been meaning to test them out too but... I guess just in case."

Kasumi looked at him in disbelief. She hadn't seen a single weapon in this man's possessions, and he didn't look like the type to carry small ones either.

They landed at Hock's estate, which seemed to have more guards than most embassies on the citadel. Kasumi's statue, some kind of Turian dude, was being checked by security. Axton looked around nervously, going over his cover identity under his breath.

"Stop that, you're going to blow it before we even get inside!" Kasumi hissed at him, silencing Axton as they approached Hock who was greeting his guests at the door.

"Mr. Axton I presume, I've heard about the work you've been doing out in the Traverse. Very impressive if the extranet is to be believed."

Axton composed himself as well he could. Slaughtering a couple bandit clans he could handle. Killing all powerful alien beasts was manageable. But this? Fancy suits and cocktail parties were something... unusual.

_It's fine Axton, just stay away from business. Small talk remember? Just turn on that charm you've been lacking in lately._

"Well I don't like to brag but... yeah I'm pretty great at what I do. The best, even."

Suddenly the guard scanning the statue double-checked his Omni-tool in a way that made Axton's hairs stand on end.

"Sir I'm not picking anything up on the scanners."

"And why should you. I don't think our guests would come all the way from the Attican Traverse just to make a mess of MY party. Do you?"

The guard shook his head and waved the statue inside.

"You may head inside Mr. Axton. However, I must ask your companion to stay outside. You understand, I hope."

_Shit._

"I don't understand actually. Care to explain?" Hock scowled even more so than Axton thought possible with a face like his.

"I don't like the look of your friend so she stays outside. Simple as that."

_Well what the fuck am __**I **__gonna do? I was just supposed to get her inside right?_

He brought Kasumi aside and spoke to her in a harsh whisper:

"What the hell! There goes your plan master thief. What now?"

"Relax Axton, he's probably just being paranoid. Rich criminals usually are. I can cloak and get in just fine, but you'll have to do all the mingling now."

"That's insane! I'm new to this whole covert stuff remember?"

'Hey, I have a lot of respect for Shepard, and he paired me up with you for some reason so I have to trust him with that. And besides, I am NOT turning back. Not now. Not for this." Her voice broke slightly, under all the emotion behind her statement.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Axton could see the resolve in her posture, and how her hand closed around the gun on her hip. It was familiar to him, this was clearly personal. This wasn't for money, or for revenge, or at least it didn't seem like it entirely. What could be so important that she couldn't just let go? They may not be on the best of terms, but hell... he never could resist a damsel in distress.

"... Okay. I'll do it." He looked into her eyes and she nodded back. Kasumi cloaked out of sight and opened up a radio channel.

"Let's get to it then."

* * *

**Addressing a few of my concerns with the plot:**

** Weaponry from Borderlands: Effective? Fatally so. Ridiculous? Why the hell not. Quantity? However many I damn well please.**

** Romance: If I can write it well, yes. Although I don't know who with or how so. After all, according to the reviews this story is pretty good and I don't want to muck it up with a badly written romance to the face.**


	6. Party People Part 2

**My longest chapter yet! I'm trying to extend the length of my chapters, so you guys don't leave wanting. Anyways, here you go! Some booze, some action, and lots of Axton.**

* * *

"Let's get to it then."

* * *

Hock's party was nothing short of needlessly extravagant and probably very expensive. Priceless paintings hung up next to one another, large sculptures and flowing fountains. All very indicative of Hock's wealth and influence. Not that Axton cared, eyeing one table with enough booze to knock out half of Sanctuary, which was sayin' something. Walking past a few guests talking, he caught a snippet of their conversation.

"Did you hear? Santiago took over that refinery on Zorya." Axton was a little perplexed at that statement. Normally hostile takeovers would be kept on the hush hush.

"Hey Kasumi, what kind of people are at this party?" He asked, a little clued in to the answer already.

"Oh only a couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters, and mass murderers you'll ever want to meet. People have lost jobs and lives under their thumbs, and they're all friends with our dear Mr. Hock."

"Huh. Startin' to sound like my kinda people." Axton joked, noticing how Kasumi had regained that small pep in her voice. Seemed like whatever the hell they were taking was worth more than money. Of course, he might just have to liberate a few things as well.

"And somehow I don't doubt it. Anyways, let's get started. The vault door should be somewhere in the back of the ballroom." Kasumi pushed him slightly, if still a little roughly, towards the direction of the vault.

Axton made his way through the crowd and to the far end of the room after snagging a glass of what tasted like it could be vodka from a waiter, where a set of stairs led down to a suspiciously empty hallway. Kasumi uncloaked next to him and opened her Omni-tool. Waving it over a part of the wall it beeped and the wall dissolved to reveal a high tech room with their statue inside.

"Wow, this is some impressive stuff. There's more here than I expected," Kasumi said, walking along the various panels that lined the door on the far end.

"Password voice lock, kinetic barrier, and even an EX-700 DNA scanner. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable." She jumped slightly at Axton suddenly bursting out in laughter behind her.

"What's so funny?"

Through fits of laughter Axton replied, "Hahaha! Oh nothing... It's just that this is feeling really familiar to something I did back on Pandora."

Kasumi gave him a quick look of confusion before refocusing on the security. They were on a schedule, and right now they were way behind.

"We'll have to get Hock talking to get a big enough voice sample, the password might be in the security booth, should be plenty of DNA in his room, and the barrier? Cut the power. Never fails, if we can find it." She turned around facing Axton, who was still smiling and chuckling slightly.

"Keiji could have cracked this in his sleep. And I'm even better." She expected some awe, or maybe a little grudging respect.

"Simple enough. Least it won't try to kill us." Axton replied matter-of-factly. Kasumi was confused by this simple man. How he could just brush off some of the most advanced security tech money could buy and still not be able to properly use an Omni-tool was, simply put, preposterous.

"So what's first?" He asked. Kasumi, not for the first time in the last hour, shook off her suspicions and disbeliefs and focused on the mission yet again.

_Focus Kasumi. You're here for the graybox, not to worry about some mercenary's odd quirks._

"Let's start with the voice sample. You'll have to get him talking for a bit while I compile a large enough sample." She cloaked as quickly as she could. He was distracting and frustrating, not what she needed for a mission this important. Axton moved away just as quick. On his part, he thought she was controlling and condescending.

_Why couldn't Shepard be here? _They both thought with an inward sigh.

Axton turned and headed up the stairs to see Hock still mingling with some guests-An Asari and another Human. Walking over as casually as he could Axton swiped another glass of alcohol from a nearby waiter and downed much of it in one gulp. He always worked better with a buzz.

Hock turned towards him as Axton came close.

"Mr. Axton, please join us. How is the party?" Somehow Axton had only just noticed the man's ridiculous accent. It was butchered and strange, even without knowing what kind of accent it was, and it immediately pissed Axton off. However, he needed him to talk.

"One hell of a shindig you got goin' on Hock, shame I couldn't bring my lady friend; she wasn't cheap." Axton started, grinning wide and fake. He just hoped it didn't have to be a long talk.

"I hope that doesn't sour your evening. Our kind of business attracts a certain kind of attention, and few understand the pains we take to keep it at a minimum….

To Axton he sounded a little like a certain Handsome Jack-ass, except Jack at least gave him a lot of things to shoot at. Luckily he was able to withstand most of the dreary speech with the power of alcohol in his system.

_And he didn't have this weird accent. I can't follow a damn word he's saying now. I don't think I could even if I was sober._

Axton was brought out of his thoughts by Hock suddenly making a grand gesture to finish his speech. People around clapped and raised their glasses in a toast, while Axton was contacted by Kasumi.

"We got it. Now lets get that password. Security room is that door on the left." Kasumi commanded next. She was able to bypass the door's lock and waited for Axton to leave his conversation. Luckily he was smart enough to say he had to go to the bathroom and got away quickly and met her outside the security room.

"Well I told you to get him talking and you got him talking. Well done." She gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. He wobbled a bit before regaining his balance.

"He's just like every other rich bastard out there. Loves hearing his own voice and making others listen." Axton turned towards the door leading into the security booth.

"This the place?" Kasumi answered with a curt nod.

"Yup. There's probably a guard or two inside though. We'll have to take them out quickly."

Kasumi started hacking the door, while Axton stood with his hand on the wall bracing himself while he tried to regain his finer motor functions.

"Their security is a piece of cake!" Kasumi happily claimed, before the door suddenly opened and revealed a surprised guard.

"Hey you shouldn-" The surprised guard was struck in the throat with a quick jab by an intoxicated yet still deadly Axton, silencing him quickly, followed by a kick to his groin. The guard doubled over in pain leaving Axton free to grab the back of his head and drive it into the wall with a sickening crunch. Needless to say, the guard fell unconscious within seconds of opening the door. Or maybe dead.

Kasumi had left the guard at the door to Axton while running over to the booth before the other two could react. In less extravagance and in quick efficiency two karate chops to the back of the neck knocked out the remaining guards and they were free to explore the security room in peace. Axton sat down in one of the chairs and slowly began to search the cluttered space.

"That was some fancy fighting Axton; you learn that in 'Pandora'?" Kasumi decided to pry into his past a little, since Shepard never said anything and neither did Axton.

"Nope. 10 years military." He replied, rifling through the many datapads littering the desks.

"Alliance then? I know plenty of mercs who were soldiers once." She started looking through the guards' pockets for clues to the password.

"Never said Alliance." Axton found a datapad that contained the password. He tossed it over to Kasumi, who read it quickly.

"Password is 'Perugia'... Oooh that's the man who stole the Mona Lisa! That was some good detective work for a military blockhead." Axton just grunted in reply. Kasumi left the prying at that. She had more questions than answers now, but hey, she'd find them eventually. She always did one way or another.

* * *

Moving on from the security booth, cutting the power was easily done by following a thermal trail from the power cables. The only hard part there was figuring out how to set his omni-tool to scan for thermal half-drunk and still technologically slow.

All that was left was getting into Hock's room for DNA. All it took was a jump off the terrace, pushing a pair of guards to their grisly deaths and smashing through a window to get on the other side of a guarded door.

"So what are we looking for?" Axton asked, going through the data pads on Hock's desk. So far he had found stuff about encryption and some shipment logs. One particular pad took his interest. It read,

_**Mr. Hock, the A-61 Mantis gunships are complete with the military modifications you ordered and are ready for shipment to the Eclipse. We'll hold one outside for you to showcase and the others in section 6-B of the garage, behind the missile storage.**_

_Gunships and missiles? Overcompensatin' for something Hock? _Axton put it down and headed into the bathroom to take a leak. All the booze had to go out sometime. But before he could even lift up the toilet seat he noticed something quite strange.

"I was hoping to find some DNA samples... but either he doesn't have any or his maids do some amazing work." Kasumi was scanning every single bit of room Hock might have touched, but was coming up with little to nothing.

"Well... I think I've got plenty..." Kasumi heard in the bathroom. Axton's voice was somewhat hesitant, and when she went into the bathroom she could sympathize. Axton had dumped the trash onto the floor of the bathroom and found tissues. Dozens of used tissues.

"I can only guess of two reasons for why he needed so many tissues. Wanna hear?" Axton nudged Kasumi playfully, seeing her repulse in the sight of it.

"No that's okay..." She quickly scanned them with her omni-tool before hurrying out of the bathroom.

"Looks like we got it. Okay let's get going then." She didn't even let Axton go to the bathroom before heading back out into the main room. Ew. Just seriously ew.

"Hahahaha! It's like she's never had the flu before!" Axton laughed hysterically to himself, taking out the empty bottle of medicine from behind his back and tossing it back into the trash. Well, he never did say it was the other thing, so she couldn't blame him completely. Finishing what he came into the bathroom in the first place to do he chuckled and headed out for the vault door where Kasumi stood impatiently.

"Ready? I'll open the door. Then we head inside and look for the greybox."

* * *

She didn't even wait for him to say anything before going through the security lock. She cracked open the statue and pulled out a variety of weapons which looked, Axton noted, very shiny and sleek. And brand new. Not like the weapons Marcus had, which were 'ripped from the hands of dead vault hunters' as he'd been told. He picked up a shotgun and assault rifle and stuck it on his back for extra safety. One never could have too many guns after all. After that Kasumi handed him a Mass Effect shield generator which would stand up to the weapons of this universe if his own didn't. "Is that... a camera on your shoulder?" Kasumi noticed the Class Optimization Module (COM for short) that Axton wore.

"Targeting unit. Wouldn't wanna shoot any pretty faces." That's as much as Axton was willing to divulge. He really didn't want anyone looking too closely at his tech. If there was one sole thing to learn from the corporations he fought for it was that keeping your cards close to your chest gave you an advantage. And if he was alone in this universe he'd need every advantage he could get.

"And where are these weapons you supposedly have?" That'd been in the back of her mind ever since he said he had them in the car ride over.

"You'll see them when they need to be shown." He left it at that and for another few moments they stood in silence. They stepped into the elevator and waited for it to arrive at the vault.

"Time to tell me what we're looking for and why it's so important." Axton asked, hoping to get some clarity as to why Kasumi was so driven on this heist.

"My partner, Keiji... he had a neural implant called a greybox which stored all his memories like a hard drive. It's the only thing left of him that I have..." She paused for a second before continuing.

"Before he died he said he'd found some secrets. Secrets that if revealed jeopardized the Alliance. Secrets that got him killed." Her voice had lost its cheeriness again. This time there was nothing he could say. He absentmindedly touched the wedding ring that his wife had thrust into his hands the day she discharged him from the Dahl Corps. He knew the feeling of losing someone you cared for. They rode in silence until the elevator stopped, revealing a giant room filled with art sculptures and a giant green head.

"I've set our omni-tools to scan for the greybox signature. I've made yours really simple Axton, the faster it beeps, the closer you are. Think you can handle that?"

"Oh ha ha." Axton dryly commented. He walked around the room looking at all the displays. Sometimes Kasumi would notice him looking at a statue and have some comment on it, but he didn't really pay attention. After some time wandering he followed the beeping until it led to a case with some guns and a small device.

"Hey. This it?" He tossed the device to Kasumi. She started a scan of its contents when the face of Donovan Hock appeared on a projection taking up half of a wall. He started talking in his incomprehensible accent to the two intruders

"I'm afraid that won't be of much use to you, it's been heavily encrypted"

"Well Hock, you know me, I love a challenge." Kasumi replied playfully and with a small venom in her voice.

"And a small tip Kasumi Goto, next time you should have a partner capable of actually being covert. Not that there will be a next time of course." Axton ignored him for the most part, inspecting the two 'Locust' (As they read along the side) SMGs that had been sitting next to the greybox. He held one out to Kasumi who looked at it for a second with what Axton thought to be bewilderment. He couldn't tell under the hood.

"Well, if it makes any difference, he wasn't exactly my first choice." Kasumi looked over at Axton who was squinting at a sculpture behind her; a large vase of some sort.

"Did she tell you some sob story about her former partner Mr. Axton?" Hock was speaking to him now, but Axton continued to ignore him and fiddled with the gun he picked up.

"You know, he begged for his life before I split open his head, like a pathe- **BANG**

A burst of fire sprang suddenly from the Locust. Axton had shot the vase sculpture and it shattered, sending Hock into a fit of rage.

"NOOO! Get in there and kill that bastard! Leave the girl alive! She is mine!" He ended with a snarl and cut the feed. The far door opened revealing a squad of Eclipse mercenaries who started fanning out through the entrance.

Kasumi looked at Axton and smiled, maybe for the first sincere time since she had met him.  
"That shut him up. Now we just have to make our hasty escape!"

That struck a chord which Axton hadn't thought about during the whole time he had been on the mission. Kasumi hadn't mentioned anything about the exit strategy, and now he doubted she had planned on leaving quietly. The Eclipse squad started firing on them and they dived into cover.

"Hey, was getting shot at part of your plan!?" He yelled before firing back with the Locust. It was accurate and worked its way through the enemy's shields, but it felt weak compared to the kind of weaponry he was used to.

"Look on the bright side, now you can let loose like you've been complaining about all this time." Kasumi retorted cheerfully while firing back. One of the mercenaries brandished a missile launcher and started firing on their cover, which was rapidly disintegrating under the constant fire.

"By the way, it'd be great if you decided to use those amazing weapons you supposedly have." She wanted to know more than ever what he was capable of. Shepard endorsed him, so he had to be deadly. And then there were all the strange quirks about him, his clothes, his equipment, and his past had all captured her attention. And this was the perfect time to find some answers.

While she had been thinking of Axton, he had been thinking about the enemies that currently attacked them. If it was a scumbag like Hock, nobody would mind the collateral damage and bloodshed that usually came with his involvement. Plus, he had yet to see how effective his weapons were compared to the ones of this universe. Oh yeah, time to let the lady loose.

He swiped his hand along the digistruct unit and the compacted turret formed in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye Kasumi stared wide-eyed and slightly jaw dropped with fascination. He aimed and threw his turret at the opposite wall, behind and slightly above the mercenaries' positions.

"Hey fellas!" He yelled over the gunfire, grabbing the attention of the mercs and their bullets. He ducked down again quickly while Kasumi watched.

To her surprise, the turret blinked out of sight and reappeared on the far side of the room.

It stood sideways, fixed upon the wall and started assembling itself into an imposing turret form, wreathed in bandoliers and a laser sight. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

He looked over at Kasumi grinning wide and swiped his hand along the digistruct unit again. This time a pistol appeared in his hands. She read the word Tediore painted along the body of the gun. It was boxy and white tinted with blue lights and she was utterly fascinated.

The turret finished its assembly and stood ready to fire and Axton yelled once more,

"Meet the missus!"

* * *

**It's getting to that point where I'm rereading my story constantly to make sure things connect as I'm writing these chapters. I may not like criticism but I can sure take it so feel free to point out anything that might be a plot hole or a logic derp! Or even something about my writing I'll gladly accept.**


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